Former mayor Kristy McBain was sworn in this week as Eden-Monaro's new Labor MP following the early retirement of Mike Kelly.
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The 37-year-old Traralgon-born mother of three had to wait more than a month for her first day in parliament on Monday, after officially being declared the winner of July's by-election, due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic.
Everyone is crying out for some plan and certainty going forward.
- New Eden-Monaro MP Kristy McBain
The Canberra trained lawyer won the seat with 50.4 per cent of the two-party-preferred vote, with election analyst Antony Green Tweeting on Thursday the Labor Party received 56 per cent of preferences from the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party, and more than 90 per cent from the Australian Greens.
Mr Green also said the preference flow from the National Party to the Liberal Party was weaker than last year's general election.
Ms McBain described the experience of walking into the chambers for the first time, alongside Labor leader Anthony Albanese, as like "walking into" her wedding, with "all eyes" on her.
She even received a COVID-19 era elbow bump from Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
After initially being told her family would not be able to watch from the gallery, she said they were given a last minute exemption to watch on.
"They were excited. it was nice they were able to watch it," she said this week.
Ms McBain will give her maiden speech following question time on Monday, and said Eden-Monaro residents "want a plan for their future", as well as "hope and positivity".
"Everyone is crying out for some plan and certainty going forward," she said.
"One of the things I want to work on is, what's the plan for regional Australia? What's the plan for infrastructure? What's the plan for the future of our industries and jobs?"
In her first week she has already been outspoken on the issues of COVID-19 border restrictions and the aged care sector.
With her by-election campaign focused on the recovery of the region following the recent bushfire crisis, Ms McBain said recent inquiries have highlighted the issue of land management, and said organisations undertaking traditional burning techniques require "some secured funding".
Ms McBain said she is focused on setting up a bushfire delegation, with the hope of speaking to treasurer Josh Frydenberg about the future of JobKeeper, adding funding is needed to better plan for the upcoming fire season.
"The communication issue is also a big one for us, with so much of our area unable to communicate with each other (during the fires)," she said.
Ms McBain said firefighting agencies require a nation-wide mobile phone app to avoid the cross-border confusion suffered by residents around the Victorian border.
"We need to work together constructively," she said.